Edwin Beck Funeral

Twenty years ago, family history research was different. I wrote a letters to libraries, placed phone calls to strangers, and read Sunday obituaries to find cousins.

On Sunday, March 21, 2004 I read an obituary and decided to seize an opportunity.

My father-in-law’s cousin’s obituary¹Edwin R. Beck Obituary. Sunday Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN). March 21, 2004. Page 10B, col. 2.

Edwin Beck

Edwin “Ed” Beck was the son of Bernard Beck (1892-1950) and Catherine Blees (1891-1984).  Ed was one of my father-in-law’s first cousins on the Blees side. AND Ed was one of my father-in-law’s second cousins on the Beck side.

Be it remembered that my father-in-law did not choose to keep up with most of his cousins. If I wanted to learn more about the Blees and Beck families, I needed to seek out these people by myself.

The visitation was in St. Paul, a short drive from my home.

Wulff-Godbout Funeral Home

Charles Godbout built the beautiful, stone funeral home in 1940. Situated on a triangular piece of land, the family-owned mortuary served St. Paul until just a few years ago.

Godbout & Son postcard, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

On Tuesday evening, March 23, 2004, I parked my car on West 7th and walked in the arched doorway of the Wulff-Godbout Funeral Home. Just inside, a pair of signs directed visitors to the two concurrent funeral visitations: Gillespie to the left, Beck to the right.

I entered the small visitation room to my right.

“You must be here for the other funeral,” someone politely assumed.

“I’m here for Ed Beck’s visitation.”

“Who are you?” came the quick request.

When I spoke my (married) name, the mourners jumped to their feet and someone exclaimed, “We haven’t heard from anyone in the Blees family for so long!”

More Family History

During the next several years, we traded family photos, stories and genealogies. Why didn’t Katherine (Müller) Blees get along with Catherine (Blees) Beck? Who had interviewed Catherine? We all wanted to find more information about Johann Blees (1856-1916), the immigrating ancestor, and his wife Victoria Prosser (1958-1919). Who has Beck family photos?

So far, this is the only time that I attended a funeral where I didn’t know anyone. Fortunately, I came away knowing everyone.

SOURCES

• 1
  Edwin R. Beck Obituary. Sunday Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN). March 21, 2004. Page 10B, col. 2.